Fire Rain, Part 1: Arrival
by PkmnLegacy
Summary: Just when everything seems the most peaceful, a new menace arrives in the Pokémon Nation. The dexholders are forced to go head-to-head with this new threat, and only their extreme skill and luck can keep them from being destroyed. Features all dexholders from Kanto, Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh.
1. Chapter 1

_One late Saturday evening at Sea Cottage, Cerulean Cape._

Bill had been having a pleasant night at home with his girlfriend Daisy Oak, when a phone call had interrupted them. At first, he had ignored it, but Daisy had told him to answer it. After all, if someone was calling at _that _time, it was probably important. She had no idea how right she was.

"You must have _some_ idea why the Pokémon storage system ain't workin' again," he sighed. He did not feel like going all the way to the central server if there was no real need for it.

"As I told you, we can't access the satellite," the tech on the other side of the conversation replied. "It's as if it just... disappeared."

"Have you tried usin' the backup system? Checked all the cables? Made sure it's not a problem with the tower?"

"Yes, we've done all we can. Sorry, but you're our only hope."

"Daisy ain't gonna be happy," Bill sighed. "But fine, I'll come."

"Thanks, Bill. We'll prepare a room for you an-"

The phone call suddenly dissolved in static. Bill frowned. He had never had any connection problems with it before.

"Hello?" he tried, but there was no reply. "Hey, can you hear me?"

With a sigh, he hung up. He was just about to try to calling them again, when he noticed Daisy standing in the doorway, looking toughtful.

"The storage system is actin' up again," he told her, "and we're havin' some connection problems with the phone, I guess."

"That's strange," she said, frowning.

"Yeah, but I'll try to call them again... Might've been a one-time problem."

"No, Bill... the TV also stopped working. And just like the phone and storage system, it goes via..."

"Satellites," Bill interrupted. "Damn. Guess we'll be tryin' to contact the space center then. Here I was hopin' for a week off."

* * *

_Meanwhile, in Viridian City..._

"Woho, that was a fun double date!"

"D-date?" Yellow gasped, her gaze flickering to Red for a short moment. She was surprised that he was blushing as well. Blue just grinned at them and, laughing happily, danced ahead.

"I must admit, it was relaxing to go see a movie," Green said, stretching his arms. "Usually I just train at the gym. Speaking of the gym, are we headed back home or...?"

"Let's walk for a bit," Red suggested. "I'm not really tired yet."

They kept walking and, following Yellow's lead, ended up on a hill in the southern parts of town. Below them, Viridian Forest stretched out for miles. Above, thousands of stars were shining.

"Wow!" Blue whispered, taking Green by the arm and pulling him to the edge of the small lookout point. Yellow glanced at Red and, finding him smiling at her, quickly looked away again, blushing.

"Hey, a shooting star!" Blue exclaimed. They all looked up, trying to spot it.

"There's another," Yellow said, pointing, "and a third..."

She let her arm drop, and they all stared at the sky in stunned silence. Dozens, maybe even hundreds of bright, white lines had appeared above them, winking out as quickly as they appeared.

"That's strange," Green said after a while. "I haven't heard anything about a meteor shower happening tonight."

"Who cares?" Blue exclaimed. "It's so romantic! And just _think_ how many wishes we're getting! It's like winning a lottery!"

"You never change," Green sighed, smiling. He put his arm around her and swung her around. "Come on. It's stopped, so let's head back home. Some of us have to get up early tomorrow."

Yellow lingered for a few moments, while her friends started down the path back towards the city. The meteor shower had stopped, but they had left some kind of uneasy feeling in her. She was not sure why.

"Yellow, you coming?" Red yelled back. She spun around to find him standing there, alone. Blue and Green must have hurried ahead.

"Oh, y-yeah," she mumbled, skipping down the stone steps that lead from the gravel path to the lookout point. Walking back home with Red, she forgot all about the uneasiness.


	2. Chapter 2

_Pallet Town, two days later, around lunchtime..._

"How far have you gotten now, Crystal?" Professor Oak asked, for the third time in as many minutes.

"It's at Raichu at the moment," she replied. The professor had decided that they should print the entire database, should the computers start malfunctioning, just like satellites had been doing for the past couple of days.

"Going well, Crys?" Gold asked, grinning at her. He was sitting in the corner, his feet resting on a stack of boxes.

"Yes! Why are you even here, if you're not going to help?" she snapped. Gold raised an eyebrow in reply, and she sighed. "Sorry. I'm just stressed out."

"Hey, no problem."

"Gold!" Professor Oak called out, coming into the room. "Could you put this box in the basement for me? It says on the label where it's supposed to go."

"Alright," Gold said, shrugging. He gave Crystal a reassuring pat on the shoulder before taking the box and disappearing down the stairs. Even with the lights on, it was a dark basement. He swore to himself as he stumbled, nearly falling down the stairs.

"Let's see," he muttered to himself. It was difficult reading the label in the darkness, but in the end he finally found what appeared to be the correct shelf. With a shrug, he mashed the box into an opening between two other boxes. He was just about to start up the stairs again, when the entire building shook violently. Cursing, he steadied himself against the wall, trying to avoid the boxes and shelves that came crashing down. He managed to find the stairs, was forced to jump over a fallen stack of boxes to get to it, then rushed up.

"Crys? Professor?" he yelled, coughing as he inhaled. There were great holes in some of the walls, and the roof had collapsed in the corner of the main room of the research lab. "Crystal!"

"Over here, Gold!" came the reply, from one of the side rooms. He hurried over, holding his sleeve over his mouth and nose to filter out as much dust as possible. The smaller room had fared better, but he was still forced to climb over a pile of rubble to enter. Crystal was in the corner, along with the professor.

"His leg," she said as he entered. He looked at it and nodded, noting the weird angle of it.

"Looks broken," he said. "What's going on here?"

"No idea. Something attacked while you were in the basement, destroyed half the lab. I didn't get a good look at it."

"We have to get out," Gold told her. "Can you support Oak? I'll use Aibo to cover us. Better let the rest of the Pokémon stay in their pokéballs until we know what's going on."

"Good thinking," Crystal replied, pulling Oak to his feet. "Come on professor, we have to leave."

"Y-yeah."

Gold entered the main hall ahead of them. There was no back door they could reach, so he figured it was best to go for the front. Together with Aibo, he crept along the wall, listening carefully to any sounds that might warn him of a coming attack. Just when he was about to tell the others it was clear, _something_ smashed through the wall in front of him. Aibo managed to dodge the attack, but Gold was knocked over, and the attacker had disappeared in a blur.

"Gold!"

"I'm okay!"

He got to his feet, blinking to clear his head. Whatever was attacking them, it was faster than anything he had fought before. He took a couple of careful steps forward, then looked out through the new hole in the wall. Something flashed past in a yellow-green blur, so he quickly retreated. Crystal looked out from the other room.

"Is it safe?"

"No idea," Gold confessed. "I don't know what's attacking us."

"Did you try using the Pokédex?" she asked. He shook his head.

"It's moving too fast. I can't-"

"Shh, listen!" Crystal interrupted suddenly. He frowned and strained his ears. There was fighting going on out there, but it was a bit away from the building. After listening to the sounds for a few seconds, he nodded, making a decision.

"Move!" he told her, grabbing professor Oak's other arm. Together, they hurried towards the door. Just before they reached it, it slammed open. Gold instantly dropped into a combat stance. Then, just as quickly, he relaxed.

"Red!" Crystal gasped.

"Hey guys," the older trainer said. "Looks like we got here just in time."

* * *

_New Bark Town, same time..._

Joey stumbled and fell, not for the first time that day. Professor Elm was right behind him in the corridor, but the strange Pokémon that was attacking them had smashed the wall and grabbed him. Joey got to his feet and spun around to help him, but Elm shook his head.

"Go!" he yelled. "Save yourself!"

"Professor-" Joey started to reply, but Elm disappeared through the hole. Wishing Gold was there, Joey rushed to the hole in the wall, hoping to save the professor. Instead, he recoiled in horror as he saw Elm face-down on the floor, blood pooling from a large hole through his body. The youngster turned away and threw up. He had no idea what he should do next.

* * *

_Littleroot Town, early afternoon..._

Ruby hesitantly put his arm around Sapphire, trying to be supportive and helpful. He had been assisting her with some research mission from her father, when they had seen that professor Birch's lab was under attack. They had rushed back and managed to fend off the strange attacker, but Sapphire's father was already badly injured by then.

"He'll be fine," Ruby found himself mumbling, and Sapphire nodded, looking queasy.

"But what if-"

"Don't worry. If he's even half as strong as you, there'll be no problem. We can visit him in the hospital, I'll go with you. I promise."

"I'll hold you to that," she sniffed, putting her arms around him. He stood there silently, letting her sob against his chest. It would be a long day.

* * *

_Sandgem Town, late afternoon_...

Pearl did his best to describe the attacker to the agents that had arrived. They seemed to have an endless amount of questions, and more often than not he had no answers. He longed to go find Dia and Platinum, to see how she was doing. Professor Rowan had survived the attack with only minor injuries, but Platinum's father...

"... know it's a Pokémon, do you have any idea what_ type_ of attacks it was using?" the interrogator was asking. Pearl's eyes flashed with irritation, and he looked up.

"I have no idea! I have already told you everything I know!" he snarled. The interrogator seemed surprised at the outburst, but quickly composed himself.

"Mr. Pearl, it is important-"

"I just saw the father of one of my best friends get killed," Pearl said, his voice low and angry. "I've been answering questions for ages, and the only answer I can give is _no idea_. Can I _please_ go find my friends, and do this _later?_"

The interrogator looked at him for a few moments, then nodded and got to his feet.

"We'll do what we can with what we have. I'll contact you if there is anything else."

"Thank you," Pearl replied, leaving the room. He found Dia and Platinum in one of the waiting rooms of the hospital, and sat down opposite them. Platinum was staring at the wall, her eyes wide and mouth slightly open. Dia was holding one arm around her, squeezing her hand with the other. Pearl looked at his friend, and their eyes met. Dia shook his head slightly, biting his lower lip and looking helpless. Pearl leaned forward, burying his face in his hands. It would be a long night.


	3. Chapter 3

"Except for the broken leg, the professor was not seriously wounded," Crystal told the dexholders that had been waiting for news. Only she and Green, being professor Oak's assistant and grandson, had been allowed to enter the emergency room.

"How are you, then?" Gold asked, looking concerned.

"Not wounded, though I've felt better," Crystal admitted, hugging herself. Gold nodded and put a hand on her shoulder and she slumped into the sofa next to him. "Any news on the attacker?"

"Still no idea on what it was," Red replied. "But it seems Oak wasn't the only one being attacked."

"Who else?" Crystal demanded.

"Sweetie, professor Elm was killed," Gold replied, putting his arm around her. She went pale, her eyes glittering with tears.

"No!" she gasped, throwing her arms around Gold and pressing her face against his shoulder. "No..."

"Yes," Gold sighed. "I'm sorry, I know you worked with him a few times."

"Other professors were also attacked," Blue added. "Birch was badly wounded, while Rowan escaped with minor injuries. Rowans assistant, professor Berlitz, also died in the attacks."

"Platinums father?" Crystal asked, looking up. Her face was swollen with tears. Blue nodded, then took Red's arm.

"Red, Yellow, come. We'll leave those two alone."

Red nodded and followed, with Yellow not far behind. They went to the lobby by the entrance of the hospital, and sat down on a couch there. They were silent for quite a while, Red stirring restlessly. Finally, he cleared his throat.

"Who could be behind this?" he asked, looking at the two others. "Someone's obviously trying to get rid of the professors, but who and why?"

"No idea," Blue sighed, leaning back into the couch. "If I did, I'd be out there chasing them. I've sent a message to Silver, asking him if he knows if his father was involved somehow. He said he didn't think so."

"I don't think so either," Yellow pitched in.

"Why?"

"No gain for him in doing it."

Red thought about it for a few seconds, then nodded. "Probably not, no."

"The Pokémon Association will investigate," Blue told them. "We'll find out, in time."

* * *

_In the Pastoria City Great Marsh..._

… two yellow-green creatures were standing, facing eachother. One was slightly taller than the other. The second one nodded.

_Contact established_, it thought.

_Good_, the first one thought back. A semi-transparent black mask appeared in front of the face of the second one.

**_REPORT_**, the mask demanded.

_Limited success_, the first one replied. _Half of targets eliminated. Communications made difficult. Enemy does not know our identity._

**_ NOT GOOD ENOUGH_**, the mask replied. The first creature stumbled back, clutching its head as if in sudden pain. _**YOU WILL PROCEED WITH MY PLAN**._

_Yes, my Lord! _the first creature thought desperately. The second creature gave off a shrill noise, and the mask disappared.

_ Our Lord is displeased,_ the first creature thought frantically. The second one waves its long arms in agitation, while twitching its head.

_I felt it,_ it thought back. _We must do better_.

The first creature whistled agreement. Something stirred in the murky depths behind the grasses of the swamp. The two creatures contorted, their bodies growing slimmer. When the Quagsire reached the spot, nothing remained as evidence they were ever there. The swamp-dwelling Pokémon gave a low cry, then disappared into the muddy water again, looking for something to eat.


End file.
